All articles

Does snoozing change with age?

Last updated: October 15, 2026

It seems to. In two studies, younger adults were more likely to snooze; in one, the odds of being a snoozer fell by about 2% with each year of age. The body clock also tends to shift earlier as people get older, which can make early alarms feel easier.

The age curve

In a Notre Dame study of 450 working adults (Mattingly et al., 2022), the odds of being a snoozer dropped by about 2% for each additional year of age; snoozers averaged 35 years old, non-snoozers 38. A survey of 1,732 people found the same pattern: snoozing was most common in younger people and in late chronotypes (Sundelin et al., 2024). Teens and young adults tend to have later body clocks.

Why older adults wake easier

With age, the body clock tends to shift earlier, so a morning alarm lands closer to when the body wants to wake anyway. Older adults also get a smaller share of deep (slow-wave) sleep (Ohayon et al., 2004), which may make being woken feel less abrupt.

Implications

If you are 22 and snoozing constantly, that may be partly biological. If you are 55 and still snoozing, sleep debt or poor sleep hygiene are worth looking at before blaming your chronotype.

Sources

1. Mattingly et al., SLEEP, 2022 (University of Notre Dame). Snoozing: an examination of a common method of waking (450 working adults)
2. Sundelin et al., Journal of Sleep Research, 2024. Is snoozing losing?
3. Ohayon et al., Sleep, 2004. Meta-analysis of quantitative sleep parameters from childhood to old age in healthy individuals